In oil production, it is common to locate an oil storage tank at an oil well site to produce hydrocarbons from the well directly into the oil storage tank. It is also known to provide a propane burner which directs exhaust into a burner tube extending into the oil storage tank for heating oil in the tank to maintain fluidity and/or prevent freezing of contents within the tank. Heating the oil may also assist in settling sand out of the oil to the bottom of the tank, and assists with fluidity of the oil when subsequently pumping the oil into transport tanker trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,606 by Benoit discloses a heat exchanging apparatus including a gas fuelled flameless catalytic heater. According to one embodiment, an oil storage tank is heated by locating the catalytic heater remotely from the tank and communicating heat exchanger fluid in a loop between the catalytic heater and a heater coil in the tank. Although the heat exchanger fluid can effectively heat the contents of the oil storage tank, the heat exchanger coil in the storage tank can be difficult to maintain as it is subjected to abrasive sands and corrosive fluids within the oil storage tank. Furthermore, considerable heat may be lost in communication between the remotely located catalytic heater and the heater coil in the oil storage tank.